Sanchez, Young, Sneijder, Schweinsteiger – who can fix United’s midfield problem?

It’s a well established fact that Manchester United’s midfield needs some work. It’s almost a given that boss Sir Alex Ferguson will seek to rectify these wrongs come the summer transfer window. The papers know this – that’s why United are linked to a new midfielder almost every day. Those most frequently connected with United, I would say, are: Alexis Sanchez, Ashley Young, Wesley Sneijder, Daniele De Rossi and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

I’m sure there have been plenty of other names thrown into United’s hat, but for the purposes of pragmatism and the preservation of sanity, let’s stick with these five for now. These players also strike me as the most exciting potential targets for United this summer.

But given the current state of United’s midfield, who should Sir Alex bring into to do a repair job?

Let’s start with the wingers – Alexis Sanchez and Ashley Young have been linked with United on a regular basis over the last couple of months. Sanchez is a 22-year-old Chilean winger playing for Serie A club Udinese. Young is Aston Villa’s key man. Both could be assets for United, but I have to question whether such a move is really necessary.

I realise that Manchester United have been criticised for suffering from a lack of width this season, but I think that’s mostly a result of their missing Antonio Valencia through injury. With Nani on one side and Valencia on the other Manchester United look a real threat down the wings. Then there’s the likes of Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs to fill in where necessary. Do cash-strapped United really need to splash out on a winger?

No, it’s the centre of the park they should be looking to address. United currently have Darren Fletcher, who looks more like a squad player to me than a first-teamer, Michael Carrick who seems to fear passing the ball forward and Anderson who loses the ball much too much. If we’re honest any of three central midfielders listed above as potential targets would add a great deal of quality to an area of the pitch that United desperately need to address.

Bastian Schweinsteiger has been a long-term target for Manchester United – one of those players that the Press are constantly touting as a replacement for Scholes. He’s been essential for both club (Bayern Munich) and country (Germany) for the last couple of seasons. He’s got good dribbling skills, can shoot from distance and isn’t afraid to get stuck in. He’s also something of a free-kick specialist. If Ferguson can tempt Bastian to leave his beloved Bayern for Old Trafford, he would make for an excellent transfer.

Daniele De Rossi is Roma’s vice-captain and an excellent combative midfielder. If United are looking to add muscle to their midfield (though it shouldn’t be forgotten that this lad is excellent both on and off the ball) then they should look no further. Recent comments De Rossi made to the Press suggest that he’s not happy with his standing at Roma – the time could be right to make a move.

For me however, despite the talents of Schweinsteiger and De Rossi, there’s only one player that United should pursue with gusto this summer – at least when it comes to their midfield. Wesley Sneijder has recently warmed to the idea of a move from Inter Milan to the Premier League – particularly if it involves joining United. I think he’s the perfect signing for United. He’s not lacking in creativity, has huge range in his passing, scores goals (20 goals in 75 games for his country) and best of all he’s only 26, so he has his best years in front of him.

There’s no doubting that he’s world class and under the tutorage of Sir Alex Ferguson I could see him getting even better. Sneijder would be a marquee signing for United – a special name who will add endless depth to the United midfield. With Scholes on the way out United need an established player to come in a replace him and I for one would like to see Sneijder make his mark in Manchester.

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